Outdoors

Manatee deaths appear to be down last year compared to the record numbers reported by state officials in 2013.

As of December, 2014, 368 manatee deaths were reported for the year by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation. One-hundred-twenty-five of those deaths were labeled as undetermined. Manatee infant deaths accounted for 99 mortalities. Sixty-seven were the result of collisions with watercraft. Twenty-six were attributed to natural causes and 24 died due to cold stress.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will hold three public workshops in December to discuss management of black bears in the Big Bend area of Florida and how people can get involved in working with the FWC on local bear issues.
The third and final workshop will be held in Chiefland, Dec. 4, at the Tommy Usher Community Center, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The first two will be held in Homosassa and Dade City.

Staff report
Manatee decals for 2014 -2015 are now available at tax collector's offices, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The decals, which cost $5, are given to boat and vehicle registrants who voluntarily contribute to the campaign. A portion of the money goes toward the Save the Manatee Trust Fund, which is put toward education, research and facilities used in manatee recovery when the animals are injured or sick.

Manatee Springs is being highlighted in a new feature on a state website.
The Suwannee Rive Water Management District created the feature, the Manatee Springs Dashboard, several months ago as an experimental means of getting feedback from people on the spring and the issues surrounding its health.
"For a variety of reasons, it's an important spring," said SRWMD Director of Water Resources Erich Marzolf, adding that the district has included the feature based on what some of the state's other water management districts are now doing.

Recreational anglers who normally fish in the Gulf lost up to $585 million from lost fishing opportunities in the year of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and could be entitled to compensation, according to a new University of Florida study.

After a disaster such as an oil spill, trustees – which could include federal, state or tribal authorities – often attempt to secure financial compensation from those responsible.

Horseshoe Beach Artificial Reef Developer Charlie Fornaciari, Project Manager for Dixie County, is hosting a free workshop on the new fishing reefs. This workshop will consist of a short film, locations of new reefs, and projected reefs. He will then answer any and all questions, give handouts and provide GPS coordinates.

This workshop will be on Saturday, Aug. 16, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at The Marina in Horseshoe Beach.

In preparation for season three of TrophyCatch, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) launched a new and highly improved website to facilitate gathering data on Florida’s famed trophy largemouth bass and to reward anglers for releasing them alive.

TrophyCatch is an incentive-based conservation program designed for anglers who catch-and-release largemouth bass heavier than 8 pounds in Florida. There are three different tiers and two bonus categories offering the opportunity to win prizes: